Such lungs can make it easier to test drugs intended to treat cancer

May 29, 2014 14:28 GMT  ·  By
Cancer researchers create artificial lung that is no bigger than a sugar cube
   Cancer researchers create artificial lung that is no bigger than a sugar cube

Brainiacs are happy to announce that they have successfully created an artificial lung that is no bigger than a sugar cube and that they say behaves very much like the real lungs found inside people's bodies.

This miniature lung, a picture of which is available above, can breathe with the help of a bioreactor, and is even equipped with blood vessels that make it possible for the cells that form it to get proper nourishment.

Despite the fact that it has a volume of just half a cubic centimeter, this artificial lung is argued to be similar enough to the real organ for scientists to use it to test various drugs and therapies intended to treat cancer.

Talking to the press, specialist Heike Walles explains that, when it comes to lung cancer, many of the drugs successfully tested on animals yield little – if any – benefits when used to treat human patients.

“Animal models may be the best we have at the moment, but all the same, 75% of the drugs deemed beneficial when tested on animals fail when used to treat humans,” the researcher says in a statement, as cited by EurekAlert.

Hence, having such artificial lungs available and being able to experiment on them rather than on rats, mice, and whatnot has high chances to help the scientific community reach a better understanding of lung cancer and the best ways to treat it.